Matt Butcher Tampa prospect

Any news about Matt Butcher other than the shootout winner and leading the team with 5 shots on goal (in the Detroit game)?

Moving from Detroit to Bellingham Wa. I got to know Garth and his son Matt Butcher from hanging around the local ice sheet and playing in the beer leagues here. Matt was super nice kid, very talented and hard working.

Matt went on to play in the BCHL and we could drive up and see his games in Chiliwack only 60 minutes away (the same as The Joe from my old house in Clarkston.)

He was 2nd in the BCHL in scoring before going to Northern. Has a penchant for timely big goals, always taken a lot of draws and has won the majority of them, great sense, decent size, had to drop the mitts a lot because everyone wanted to say they fought Garth Butcher's kid. Never saw him lose a bout, (maybe a couple of draws), and he enjoyed every one of them although he's certainly not an enforcer. And FWIW, he has a good pedigree; his dad and two uncles (mom's brothers) were all in the NHL (Garth Butcher, Doug and Mark Morrison).

More than once I've seen him win a late game draw, get the puck back and score the game winner.

His career at Northern Michigan started off well as he had a game winner aginst UofM as an under classmen. But then an injured hip as a junior and senior really derailled his NCAA career.

I was super psyched to see Yzerman pluck him out of Gillis' trash heap (Canuck's recycle bin?) for a try out.

All of us beer leaguer's in Bellingham, Wa. know he and his father personally and let me tell ya, Matt Butcher's a class act, a smart, talented, hard working kid. It would be awesome to see him latch on with Stevie Y.

Tonite against Carolina he scored the game's first goal on a one timer. I'm really rooting for him.

Anyone in Traverse City able to watch him and say how he looks out there? I'd really appreciate hearing about it.

Thanks a ton. Go Wings. Go Bolts.

Edit: Butcher with a power play goal makes it 2-1 Tampa. Way to go Matty!